‘SLIDE house’ by komada architects office, suginami-ku, tokyo, japan
image © toshihiro
all images courtesy of komada architects
in the dense tokyo suburbs, takeshi and yuka komada have redesigned the bland, grid-like approach to cooperative housing in favor of a dwelling centered around dynamic movement and active spaces organized by mobility. ‘the SLIDE house’ consists of 9 total units, built around a central courtyard and connected by sharply angled paths of circulation. while the courtyard is split by a green screen, each apartment’s program is linearly assembled and linked by a network of stairs. the effect is that of a stacked series of landings; some extruded and containing domestic spaces and others shortened to emphasize their liminality. this is fundamentally an architecture of human movement, wherein the planar areas of ‘treads’ become spaces of rest and study and the vertical slabs of ‘risers’ become walls and shelving units. four of the apartments open to the elongated courtyard and five units have a private roof balcony, a rare feat in the otherwise congested city fabric. the staggered landings also create optimal conditions for ample amounts of interior light. the slab-like surfaces strike an aesthetic balance between a harmonious addition to the urban context and a welcome change in the geometry of the skyline.
more than half of the units have roof balconies, allowing tenants unprecedented access to the cityscape
image © toshihiro
sunset views from the private roof terraces
image © toshihiro
the residences are both separated and linked by stairways
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steps transcend their primary function and become shared social spaces
image © toshihiro
stairs also elegantly give way to areas of program, like the above transition from roof balcony to kitchen
image © toshihiro
the angled passages allow light to tumble into the space
image © toshihiro
(left): a view of the tatami areas from the base of the stairs(right): a view of the study/sitting area from the top of the same steps
image © toshihiro
exaggerated treads and risers become a child’s play space
image © toshihiro
interior view
image © toshihiro
night view of the central courtyard and curved ‘green screen’ designed for climbing plants
image © toshihiro
site plan
roof plan
floor plan level 2
floor plan level 1
floor plan level 0
floor plan level -1
section
unit H axonomteric
unit N axonometric
